THIEVES

Kelly Rodney

T H I E V E S a strategy for previewing textbooks

====This pre-reading strategy allows students to “steal” information from a textbook //before// they actually begin reading it. Students will learn to use the easily remembered acronym THIEVES to guide them through the text preview process, access prior knowledge of the topic, identify key concepts, establish expectations and purpose for their reading, and predict what might be contained in a text passage. ====
 * Purpose: **

= Benefits: = = The Strategy: = T ITLE The title provides valuable information, such as the topic and the context. Questions to ask while reading the title: H EADINGS Headings indicate important sections/ideas and help identify the specific topics covered. Questions to ask while reading headings and subheadings: I NTRODUCTION The introduction provides an overview of the chapter. It is often found after the title and before the first heading. Sometimes the introduction is in //italics.// Sometimes the goals and objectives of the chapter are stated in the introduction. Questions to ask while previewing the introduction: E VERY FIRST SENTENCE IN A PARAGRAPH ====First sentences are often the topic sentence in a paragraph. By reading these, a student can get some idea of the information that will follow. A question to ask while reading every first sentence: ====
 * Good strategy to use for all non-fiction texts
 * Can be easily applied across the curriculum
 * A solid foundation for organized, meaningful reading that elevates students’ comprehension of text
 * What do I already know about this topic?
 * How does it connect with the previous chapter or lesson?
 * How can I turn this title into a question to focus my reading?
 * What does this heading tell me I will be reading about?
 * What topic will be discussed in the paragraph(s) below this heading?
 * How can I turn this heading into a question that will be answered when I read this section?
 * Is the introduction marked as such, or do I have to find it?
 * Does the first paragraph introduce the chapter?
 * What important information is in this introduction?
 * ====Based on this first sentence, what do I think this chapter will be about? ====

V ISUALS & VOCABULARY The visuals are the pictures, charts, tables, maps and graphs, and the captions/ labels on each. They provide some clues about the topic before reading begins. Questions to ask while looking at visuals:
 * How do these visuals related to the chapter content?
 * How do the captions/labels help me better understand the visual?
 * What can I learn from them?

Vocabulary unlocks meaning and must be understood in order to comprehend the text. It may or may not be clearly identified as key words, highlighted or italicized in the text. Some questions to ask about the vocabulary:
 * Is a list of key words provided? And are they defined in the glossary?
 * Are important words/concepts indicated by **boldface** or //italics//?
 * Do I know the important words and their meanings?

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Questions at the end of a chapter are indicators of important points, concepts, and ideas. Reading these questions can help target critical information in the text. Questions to ask about end-of-chapter questions:
 * E ****<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 18.6667px;">ND-OF-CHAPTER QUESTIONS **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">What information do these questions tell me is important in this chapter?
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">How do I find the answers in the text?

S <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 24px;">UMMARY <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Many texts contain a summary at the end of a chapter. Reading that summary can activate prior knowledge and provide an overview of the important points discussed in the chapter. Questions to ask while reading the summary:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">What do I recall and understand about the topics covered in this summary?

= <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif';">Recommendations: =
 * THIEVES strategy should be taught to all students during the first few weeks of school in their language arts/literacy classes, and students should be encouraged to apply the THIEVES strategy to readings across the curriculum.
 * Students should practice the strategy on increasingly difficult texts, across content areas.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Observe students’ ability to accurately and efficiently locate main ideas, make inferences, make connections to prior knowledge, establish a purpose for reading, and make predictions based on various text and organizational features when reading for information. Ask students to access and report their prior knowledge about a text passage based on the THIEVES features. For example, ask them to make predictions about specific ideas that might be contained in a text passage without reading the entire passage. = = <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Grade 6 Language Arts <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">6.RI.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">6.RI.2 Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">6.RI.3 Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes). <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">6.RI.5 Analyze how a particular sentence, paragraph, chapter, or section fits into the overall structure of a text and contributes to the development of the ideas. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">6.RI.7 Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">2.01.b Studying the characteristics of informational works. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">2.01.3 Making connections between works, self and related topics/information. = <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif';">Resources: = <span style="font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 18.6667px;">[] = <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif';">References: = Manz, S.L. (2002). A strategy for previewing textbooks: Teaching readers to become THIEVES. The Reading Teacher, //55//(5) 434-436.
 * <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 21.3333px;">Assessment: **
 * <span style="color: #7030a0; font-family: 'Century Gothic','sans-serif'; font-size: 21.3333px;">Correspondence to Common Core Standards: **